Discussions 3: Dr. Gerard Casey and Oliver Westcott – Philosophy, Law, Morality, and Tolerance

Andy Curzon and I are at it again, this time co-hosting Dr. Gerard Casey and Oliver Westcott.

About Dr. Casey:

He holds law degrees from the University of London and UCD as well as a primary degree in philosophy from University College Cork, an MA and PhD from the University of Notre Dame and the higher doctorate, DLitt, from the National University of Ireland. He was formerly Assistant Professor at The Catholic University of America (Washington, D.C.), 1983-1986 and Adjunct Professor at the Pontifical Institute in Washington D.C., 1984-86. He was a member of the School of Philosophy in University College Dublin (UCD) (Head from 2001–2006) from 1986 until he retired in December 2015. He is a Fellow of Mises UK and an Associated Scholar of the Ludwig von Mises Institute in Auburn, Alabama.

Oliver Westcott is a UK libertarian occasionally involved in networking and grass roots activism, who has been following the various literature and schools of libertarian thought for a decade.

Discussion Outline:

1. Gerard and Oliver’s philosophical journey
2. Brehon Law (old Irish Law) and assorted derivatives (the meaty part of the discussion)
3. Morality as an emergent property and its relation to emergent law or law discovery
4. Gerard’s newest book: ZAP: Free Speech and Tolerance in the light of the Zero Aggression Principle
5. Tolerance / Intolerance
6. What’s everyone working on at the moment?

Books Mentioned during the discussion:

• Why I Am Not a Christian, Bertrand Russell – https://amzn.to/2l5pYGD
• An Essay Concerning Human Understanding, John Locke – https://amzn.to/2l6SDen
• Law and Revolution, Harold Berman – https://amzn.to/2XJ8CwV
• A Guide to Early Irish Law, Fergus Kelly – https://amzn.to/30sj7Xd
• The Theory of Money and Credit, Ludwig von Mises – https://amzn.to/2LMklIy
• ZAP, Gerard Casey – https://amzn.to/2XFFAOE
• The Machinery of Freedom, David Friedman – https://amzn.to/2XNqRBc
• The Enterprise of Law, Bruce Benson – https://amzn.to/2l6MYoJ
• A Confession, Leo Tolstoy – https://amzn.to/30z0T6p
• Law and Public Opinion in 19th Century England, Albert Dicey – https://amzn.to/2XKeFkP
• Liberty Defined, Ron Paul – https://amzn.to/2XLYhQO
• The Breakdown of Nations, Leopold Kohr – https://amzn.to/2JxZgjN
• Economics in in One Lesson, Henry Hazlitt – https://amzn.to/2l4VEf7
• On Power, Bertrand de Jouvenel – https://amzn.to/2l71Wep

Gerard Casey’s talk on Law in Disorder: https://youtu.be/h9ycXaefvJw